Team India is nearly set for its ultimate frontier as it would battle New Zealand in the final of the ICC World Test Championship 2019-21 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton from Friday. It would be the maiden final of the tournament, introduced in 2019, while the winner would be crowned the king of Test cricket.
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A 19-member Indian team for the terminal Test was already announced last month by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, to be led by Virat Kohli. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the BCCI announced the final 15 members for the same.
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It is being presumed that Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill would open the proceedings, followed by Cheteshwar Pujara at number three. At number four would be Kohli, while vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane would follow him at number five.
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In the next half, Hanuma Vihari could bat at number six, followed by wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant. It would be interesting to see if both Pant and Wriddhiman Saha get the nod. If so, the latter would follow the former, while Vihari could miss out.
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As for the all-rounder, veteran Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are sure to follow each other, while both can bat at desired positions. However, if Kohli decides to have a stable bowling attack, Jadeja could miss out.
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Meanwhile, the bowling line-up looks interesting, as Kohli would have a headache with a star-studded attack. While Japsrit Bumrah is sure to feature along with Ishant Sharma, one member from Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj would make the cut.
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India's final 15: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane (vc), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Japsrit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj
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New Zealand's final 15: Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Devon Comway, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling and Will YoungNOTE: Asianet News humbly requests everyone to wear masks, sanitise, maintain social distancing and get vaccinated as soon as eligible. Together we can and will break the chain #ANCares #IndiaFightsCorona
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